Ventilated seat cushion



March 10, 1964 T. E. WILSON VENTILATED SEAT CUSHION Filed March 10, 1961 United States Patent 3,123,838 VENTILATED SEAT CUSHION Thomas E. Wilson, 7622 Alberta Drive, Huntington Beach, Calif.

Filed Mar. 10, 1961, Ser. No. 94,859 13 Claims. (Cl. -647) The present invention relates to cushions and more particularly to a ventilated pad or seat cushion. Most ventilating type seat cushions presently available are formed of coiled wire covered with a loose or open weave fabric.

One of the principal objections to the usual type of seat cushion resides in the tendency of the coil wire to wear through the fabric covering and subsequently damaging the clothing of the user and the material covering the seat, such as upholstery or automobile seat covers.

It is, therefore, one of the principal objects of this invention to form a ventilating type cushion material of resilient nonmetallic formation having such openness and resilient deformability as to have the combined qualities or restorability from loaded condition, openness for ventilation, and long serviceability.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel seat cushion structure formed of plural layers of loosely woven material so associated as to withstand compression and resume its normal state when the pressure is removed.

Another object is to provide seat cushioning material which is so constructed that alternate compression and expansion of the cushion body will not result in wearing or deteriorating the cushion material.

A further object is to provide seat cushioning material having the above characteristics, which is comparatively light in weight and readily pliable, wherein the open weave of the material forms a multiplicity of free open interstices throughout its area so that the cushion is efficiently air pervious.

Another object is to provide a seat cushion formed of at least three layers of woven material wherein the center layer is formed in a corrugated manner for holding the outer layers of the cushion in spaced-apart relation.

Another object is to set forth a method of forming seat cushion material of the type set forth hereinabove, which may thereafter be cut and bound to form seat cushions having a desired peripheral contour.

Accomplishment of these objects is predicated primarily upon a novel intermediate or core material which in the broader contemplations of the invention may be characterized as a fabric of open, air-passing formation made of non-metallic strands having curved deflections outwardly from a medial plane of the fabric. Of particular significance is the composition of these strands in relation to assured elastic retention of their curved configuration, and the method employed in achieving that configuration.

In brief, the fabric strand composition includes a progressively settable or hardenable elastomer derived from a suitable natural or synthetic latex. In forming the fabric to its functional state as a cushion material, the stands are given their curved configuration while the elastomer is in a relatively less set or softer condition, following which the elastomer is caused or permitted to assume a more set or harder state which assures maintenance of the strands in the stated configurations, independently of any extraneous support. The term harder is used in the sense of a degree of set or polymerization of an elastomer which remains in a rubbery state.

Other objects will be apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying single sheet of drawings, wherein:

3,123,838 Patented Mar. 10, 1964 FIG. 1 is a general showing of a seat cushion embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary plan View of the cushion filler material;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view, on a further enlarged scale, taken substantially along the line 3-3 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 4 diagrammatically illustrates the method employed in forming the cushion material; and

FIG. 5 shows a variational method of forming corrugations.

Referring first to FIGS. 2 and 3, which illustrate generally at 11) fragmentary portions of the interior cushion composite of the later described FIG. 1, the assembly comprises an intermediate corrugated fabric 11 having resilient and elastically restorable properties, to the top and bottom surfaces of which are applied or adhered open mesh fabrics 12 and 13. The latter may be woven of any suitable strands, threads or fibers, natural or synthetic, with a degree of openness, such as I have illustrated, which will assure free passage of air through the composite. The woven warp and Woof strands 14 and 15 may or may not be covered with an elastomer which, as later described, coats the strands 16 and 17 of the intermediate layer 11, since the primary purposes of the fabrics 12 and 13 are to provide coverings for the intermediate fabric and, when adhered thereto, to join the three fabrics as an integrated composite.

The intermediate fabric 11 may initially have the form of an essentially flat fabric as diagrammatically indicated at 18 in FIG. 4. This fabric also has an open mesh forma tion of its strands 16 and 17, and possessed of air-passing openness such as may be achieved by a spacing of the corresponding strands 16 and 17 as they appear in FIG. 3, of about four to the inch. This base fabric may be woven of any suitable non-metallic strands to which the later described elastomer may be adhered. Satisfactory results have been achieved using a base fabric 16 woven of twisted paper strands.

With further reference to the intermediate fabric 11, it is to be understood that in the broad contemplations of the invention, the strands may be woven or assembled in any suitable configurations, of which the square cross weave shown is illustrative, capable of deformation to present at one or both sides of a plane, or medial plane, of the fabric, curved deflections which are self-sustaining and self-restorable, from flattening effects independently of any covering material. Also preferably employed is a base fabric which lends itself to corrugated deformation as in the manner later described.

The method of imparting to the intermediate fabric 11 the above mentioned properties, is illustrated by FIG. 4, wherein the sheet fabric 18 is shown to be coated at 19 with a suitable elastomer which may be selected from the general class of natural and synthetic rubbers, and plastics having elastomeric properties. The elastomer is applied to the fabric as a latex or solution of the elastomer proper, so that the latex is capable of at least partially drying, polymerizing or hardening, sufficiently under the ambient temperature conditions to render the deformed fabric self-sustaining in its deformed shape, as will appear. Elastomeric materials marketed under the trade names Plasticosol and Mierosol have been found to serve satisfactorily, as have Buna-N rubber latexes.

As an illustrative method for coating the fabric 18 the latter is shown to be advanced between rolls 20 rotating in and becoming surface-coated with the latex contained in receptacles 21, the transference of the liquid latex to the fabric being such as to completely coat its strands 16 and 17. The coated fabric then passes at 22 under time and temperature conditions sufficient to partially set or harden the elastomeric coating, which process may be accelerated by passing the coated fabric 22 through a heating zone 23 o: wherein the temperature of the fabric is raised typically to a temperature around 350 F. As will be understood, this temperature may be increased or decreased depending upon such considerations as the particular composition and tion does not adhere to the surfaces of the corrugating rolls 25.

While it is possible in the use of very quick-drying or hardening latexes to apply to the fabric 22 latex delivered to one or both of the corrugated rolls as from a dip-tank 26, it is found that better control and superior results may be achieved by advance coating of the fabric, followed by heating at 23, in the manner explained.

Leaving the corrugated rolls 25, the fabric 11 has a curved essentially sinusoidal configuration which is maintained by the self-sustaining properties given the coated fabric by the partially hardened condition of the elastomer. In this condition, the fabric is passed preferably through a second heating zone 27 wherein the fabric may be maintained for a suitable period at a temperature say between 300 F. to 400 F., sufficient to further set and harden the elastomer to a degree increasing its self-sustaining strength to a point where the fabric will withstand repeated flattening effects or pressures, and will elastically restore to the shape illustrated in FIG. 3.

Beyond heating zone 27, the fabric 11 is shown to pass between rolls 23 for application of the cover, fabrics 12 and 13 being fed from between rolls 29, one of which in each set receives adhesive from a tank 30 so that as fed to the rolls 28, the fabrics 12 and 13 are adhesive coated. Passing between rolls 28, the covered fabrics are adhered to the crests of the fabric 11 and the composite is passed through a heating chamber 31 to dry and set the adhesive. The resulting product as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, may be cut into sections of appropriate cushion size, with or without binding at 32 along the edges of the sections.

For the purpose of incorporating the described composite in a seat cushion usable for example in automobiles, a section of the described fabric composite generally indicated at 33 in FIG. 1, may be enclosed in a case or envelope 34 which may be made of any suitable material. Preferably I employ for the envelope 34 a fabric having sufficient porosity or looseness in weave to be readily air permeable and thus assure the very desirable ventilation and resulting comfort to be afforded by the entire cushion assembly.

FIG. illustrates a variational means for converting the sheet fabric 22 to corrugated form, and as a preferred alternative to the corrugating rolls 25. In the variational form, the latex coated fabric 22 after having passed through the preliminary heating zone 23, passes between a pair of endless belt or chain corrugating assemblies generally indicated at 36, each of which comprises a belt or chain 37 running over driven pulley rolls 33 and carrying uniformly spaced transverse bars 39 which travel between the assemblies 36 in the off-set relation illustrated so as to deflect in corrugated patterns the coated fabric 22 which leaves the assembly in self-sustaining corrugated form as indicated at 40.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my co-pending application, Serial No. 753,470, filed August 6, 1958 now abandoned on Ventilated Seat Cushion.

I claim:

1. The method of making a cushion material that includes:

(A) advancing a sheet of woven open mesh fabric to a corrugating station,

(E) corrugating the fabric by engagement with moving corrugating surfaces as the sheet passes through said station,

(C) coating the strands of the fabric in advance of said station with a latex of a progressively settable elastomer,

(D) heating the coated fabric in advance of said station to only partially harden the elastomer for avoidance of adhesion to said surfaces in the corrugating zone, and

(E) further heating and hardening the elastomer on the corrugated fabric While it is in substantially the corrugated form leaving said station to render the fabric self-restorable from flattening effects.

2. The method of claim 1, in which the sheet is corrugated by contact with interfitting corrugating elements and in which the elastomer is preliminarily hardened in step (D) suificiently to not adhere to the corrugating elements.

3. The method of claim 1, in which the coated fabric is sinusoidally corrugated.

4. The method of claim 1, in which the coated fabric is heated in step (E) directly following corrugation of the fabric.

5. The method of claim 1, in which said fabric is woven of paper strands.

6. The method of claim 1, including the further step of simultaneously advancing and adhering to the crests of the corrugated sheet a second sheet of open mesh fabric.

7. The method of claim 1, in which said elastomer is Buna-N rubber.

8. The method of claim 7, including the further step of simultaneously advancing and adhering to the crests of opposite surfaces of the corrugated sheet a pair of open mesh fabric sheets.

9. A cushion material comprising a fabric made of strands woven in predetermined open air-passing formation and having curved deflections outwardly from a medial plane of the fabric, the composition of said strands including a progressively settable elastomer of the group consisting of natural and synthetic rubbers which has set from a softer to harder condition while in the form of said curved deflections to render said fabric self-sustaining and elastically self-restorable from flattening effects.

10. The material of claim 9, in which said strands have flexible paper center threads coated with said elastomer.

11. The material of claim 9, in which said strands are of essentially sinusoidal shape.

12. The material of claim 9, in which said strands are interwoven at right angles and said cushion material is permanently shaped with sinusoidal corrugations.

13. The material of claim 9, in combination with an open mesh fabric engaging the crests of said strand deflections.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,406,051 Weiss Aug. 20, 1946 2,423,870 Blessing July 15, 1947 2,429,482 Munters Oct. 21, 1947 2,580,202 Talalay et a1 Dec. 25, 1951 2,607,104 Foster Aug. 19, 1952 2,620,862 Hite Dec. 9, 1952 2,670,314 Ungar Feb. 23, 1954 

9. A CUSHION MATERIAL COMPRISING A FABRIC MADE OF STRANDS WOVEN IN PREDETERMINED OPEN AIR-PASSING FORMATION AND HAVING CURVED DEFLECTIONS OUTWARDLY FROM A MEDIAL PLANE OF THE FABRIC, THE COMPOSITION OF SAID STRANDS INCLUDING A PROGRESSIVELY SETTABLE ELASTOMER OF THE GROUP CONSISTING OF NATURAL AND SYNTHETIC RUBBERS WHICH HAS SET FROM A SOFTER TO HARDER CONDITION WHILE IN THE FORM OF SAID CURVED DEFLECTIONS TO RENDER SAID FABRIC SELF-SUSTAINING AND ELASTICALLY SELF-RESTORABLE FROM FLATTENING EFFECTS. 